Background Effective interventions addressing postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) are critically needed to reduce maternal mortality worldwide. Uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) has been shown to be an effective technique to treat PPH in developed countries, but has not been examined in resource-poor settings.Objectives This literature review examines the effectiveness of UBT for the treatment and management of PPH in resource-poor settings.Search strategy Publications were sought through searches of five electronic databases: Medline, Cochrane Reference Libraries, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Embase and Popline.Selection criteria Titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility by two independent reviewers. Each reviewer evaluated the full text of potentially eligible articles by defined inclusion criteria, including the presentation of empirical data and use of UBT in resource-poor settings to treat PPH. Data collection and analysis Full text of all eligible publications was collected and systematically coded.Main results The search identified 13 studies that met the inclusion criteria: six case reports or case series, five prospective studies and two retrospective studies for a total of 241 women. No randomised controlled trials were identified. The studies used various types of UBT, including condom catheter (n = 193), Foley catheter (n = 5) and Sengstaken-Blakemore oesophageal tube (n = 1). In these studies, primarily conducted in tertiary-care settings rather than lower-level health facilities, UBT successfully treated PPH in 234 out of 241 women.Conclusions UBT is an effective treatment for PPH in resourcepoor settings. Further study of UBT interventions is necessary to better understand the barriers to successful implementation and use in these settings.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of an ultra-lowcost uterine balloon tamponade package (ESM-UBTTM) for facility-based management of uncontrolled postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Nepal.Design Prospective multi-centre case series.Setting Facilities in resource-scarce areas of Kenya, Sierra Leone, Nepal, and Senegal.Population Women with uncontrolled postpartum haemorrhage in 307 facilities across the four countries.Methods A standardised ESM-UBT package was implemented in 307 facilities over 29 months (1 September 2012 to 1 February 2015. Data were collected via a multi-pronged approach including data card completion, chart reviews, and provider interviews. Beginning in August 2014, women who had previously undergone UBT placement were sought and queried regarding potential complications associated with UBT use.Main outcome measures All-cause survival, survival from PPH, and post-UBT use complications (surgery, hospitalisation, antibiotics for pelvic infection) associated with UBT use.Results 201 UBTs were placed for uncontrolled vaginal haemorrhage refractory to all other interventions. In all, 38% (71/ 188) of women were either unconscious or confused at the time of UBT insertion. All-cause survival was 95% (190/201). However, 98% (160/163) of women survived uncontrolled PPH if delivery occurred at an ESM-UBT online facility. One (1/151) potential UBT-associated complication (postpartum endometritis) was identified and two improvised UBTs were placed in women with a ruptured uterus.Conclusions These pilot data suggest that the ESM-UBT package is a clinically promising and safe method to arrest uncontrolled postpartum haemorrhage and save women's lives. The UBT was successfully placed by all levels of facility-based providers. Future studies are needed to further evaluate the effectiveness of ESM-UBT in low-resource settings.Keywords Maternal mortality, postpartum haemorrhage, uterine balloon tamponade. Please cite this paper as: Burke TF, Ahn R, Nelson BD, Hines R, Kamara J, Oguttu M, Dulo L, Achieng E, Achieng B, Natarajan A, Maua J, Kargbo SAS, Altawil Z, Tester K, de Redon E, Niang M, Abdalla K, Eckardt MJ. A postpartum haemorrhage package with condom uterine balloon tamponade: a prospective multi-centre case series in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Nepal. BJOG 2016;123:1532-1540